Microreactors which can be implemented in the form of a glass or plastic micro-fluidic chip have many advantages when compared to traditional production means (or procedures).                1. By performing the actions in micrometer channels, very efficient mass and heat exchange processes will take place due to miniaturization. Reactions can be performed in a fraction of the traditional reaction times. Side reactions will be suppressed which will result in an increase in selectivity.        2. The high levels of control, as well as the application of small reaction volumes will result in a much safer use of inherently toxic or explosive compounds.        3. A change of reaction conditions can be applied very quickly, as a plurality of reaction channels and connections can be assembled on an integrated circuit. This results in a very flexible production process.        4. Besides the flexibility in reaction conditions, microreactors are also very well suited for performing combinatorial chemistry, via parallel synthetic procedures.        5. An increase in production volume from synthesis in a research environment to production scale can be carried out with microreactors by a scaling out procedure. Using an array of parallel operating chips, there is no need for extensive pilot plant studies. An increase in production volume is easily achieved by an increase in number of microreactors.        6. The high level of dimensional control on (sub)micron scale allows very well-defined production of micrometer sized morphologies, as applied in e.g. food textures.        
Much research therefore has been performed to develop microreactor set-ups. In general, two approaches can be distinguished. One approach is to use micromachining for the construction of stainless steel microreactors. This has for example been performed by the German company CPC. Although elements such as mixing and heating can be built in, this method is more expensive and less flexible than the second approach, which uses etching and lithography techniques to prepare microreactors out of glass or silicon. A higher level of control over reaction parameters can be achieved with the second approach (or class) which therefore holds much promise for implementation in the industrial research environment.
One drawback with the present glass microsystems is that a set-up which combines synthesis, purification and characterization is not available. Important for a successful introduction of microreactor technology in the commercial market is that the set-up should be robust, user-friendly and cost-efficient. An integrated microreactor device which combines these parameters will therefore fulfil a concrete need.
Typical microreactors comprise a glass or plastic micro-fluidic chip, which is fixed in a chip-holder. FIG. 10a shows a three-dimensional drawing of a prior-art chip-holder. The three-dimensional drawing of FIG. 10a is designated in its entirety with 1700. FIG. 10b shows three-dimensional drawings of the individual components of the prior-art chip-holder shown in FIG. 10a. The three-dimensional drawings of FIG. 10b are designated in their entirety with 1750. The chip-holder which is shown in FIG. 10a and whose individual parts are shown in FIG. 10b is a product of Micronit company. It should be noted that same means are designated with the same reference numerals in FIGS. 10a and 10b. The prior-art chip-holder comprises a lower part 1710 and an upper part 1720. The lower part 1710 comprises a rectangular plastic body 1730. The plastic body 1730 of the lower part 1710 comprises a rectangular opening 1732. Furthermore, six threaded bolts 1734 are fixed to the plastic body 1730 of the lower part 1710. The upper part 1720 comprises a rectangular plastic body 1740. Plastic body 1740 exhibits a cuboidal protrusion 1742. The cuboidal protrusion 1742 of the upper part 1720 is designed to fix a micro-fluidic chip in the opening 1732 of the lower part 1710.
The upper part 1720 further comprises six holes 1744, five of which can be seen in FIG. 10b. The six holes 1744 in the plastic body 1740 of the upper part 1720 are placed in such a way that their positions fit the positions of the six threaded bolts 1734 in the plastic body 1730 of the lower part 1710. In other words, the upper part 1720 can be approximated to the lower part 1710 so that the six threaded bolts 1734 of the lower part pass through the six holes 1744 in the plastic body 1740 of the upper part 1720. The upper part 1720 can be fixed to the lower part 1710 by screwing knurled nuts 1748 to the threaded bolts 1734 of the lower part 1710. Accordingly, the knurled nuts 1748 allow the application of some pressure to the upper part 1720. Using the pressure, a micro-fluidic chip can be fixed between the upper part 1720 and the lower part 1710.
Besides, it should be noted that the upper part 1720 comprises a plurality of connection holes 1760. These connection holes 1760 match holes in the micro-fluidic chip which can be fixed between the lower part 1710 and the upper part 1720. The connection holes allow the connection of the micro-fluidic chip with external devices like a pumping device or an analysis unit.